Academic staff members at Memorial University have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action.

Turnout for the vote was a historic 93% of MUNFA’s membership, with 90% voting yes, and 10% voting no.

The Executive Committee of MUNFA can authorize a strike at any time. In consultation with MUNFA’s Negotiating Committee, the executive has set a strike deadline of 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 30th.

MUNFA is scheduled to return to the negotiating table with the MUN administration’s bargaining team on Monday, Jan. 23.

“MUNFA members are fighting for changes that will protect students’ quality of education and improve the university as a whole,” said Ash Hossain, a professor in the Faculty of Business Administration and the president of MUNFA.

“During our contract negotiations, the administration has refused to commit to improvements for contract instructors, who do an enormous amount of teaching and some of whom cycle through contracts for decades on end. It has refused to even discuss improvements to the governance of this public institution. And, with the recent tuition increase, it has attempted to balance its budget on the backs of students. None of this is acceptable.”